A Caged Bird's Faith
by destiny's-dawn666
Summary: An injury sustained in the Endwar meant Sariele would never fly again. Thus she was trapped in the Hell left in the ashes of the deceased Kingdom of Man. Everyday she kept her faith- everyday, she prayed for salvation. The last hope she expected, though, came in the form of the Rider in Red that she had glimpsed upon all those years ago. War/OC
1. Chapter 1

**Hello, awesome FF readers. This is my first time working with anything other than Bleach. So I got this game for Christmas last year; needless to say, I was hooked, and I had been tossing this story around for a while now. I think I've got it to where I really like it, and I hope you enjoy reading it as much as I do writing it. I apologize in any chance of OOC-ness. I really did try to stick to the same tone as the game. Yes, this will _(very, very eventually) _be a War/OC story. As for those of you who read my Bleach stories, I greatly apologize, if that can even begin to tell you how sorry I am. My computer cord was chewed up by the dog and I have yet to get it replaced. Honestly, I would much rather do that than rewrite a whole chapter, especially after all the hard work I've put into it. In any case, here is my first Darksiders fic. I pray I do not disappoint.**

**DISCLAIMER: I do NOT own Darksiders. The game belongs to the people who made it (i.e.- NOT me) Sariele, however is mine.**

'The fight begins now,' she thought as she watched the meteors fall from the sky, their tails of dark grey smoke billowing into the atmosphere. She watched grimly as one by one her brethren fell to the earth to join the battle, armor gleaming in gold or already smeared in blood of the demons. Glaives slashed and cannons blasted, their deafening roars echoing over the terrified screams of the humans below.

She grit her teeth against the sounds of tormented agony below- whether they came from the humans or her own comrades. They- the Hellguard- had been ordered to disregard the humans- an order that Sariele heavily disagreed with. Her heart told her that the loss of so many innocent lives- lives so integral to the Balance- was not worth the tip of the scale even in Heaven's favor. She was probably the only one who favored that over being brainwashed by Abbadon's archaic ways. It was his belief that the humans' condition was brought on by themselves, that they were incredibly ignorant to the ways of the universe and destroyed everything they laid hands on. Sariele believed that they were still young, still learning about themselves, like most children. Abbadon, as usual, dismissed her under the premise that she herself was still just a child and thus knew nothing.

Yet, here she was, assisting the Hellguard. She felt useless and helpless, however, standing from the top of a skyscraper to take down aerial enemies. While she was picking off enemies above, her comrades were having their blood spilled on the streets below. Her ethereal bow surged with Heavenly energy once more as she pulled an arrow of blue energy back on an invisible string. With a slow breath, she let go, right into the heart of a flying demon. She turned just in time to catch its partner with an arrow right through its heart. At this time, she had caught the attention of a small swarm of flying demons. At the moment between fight and flight, she determined that the best thing to do would be to flee. Her brilliant wings unfolded and she took off, barreling past her foes. She allowed herself mere seconds to turn and shoot at the demons, taking pains to mind her course as well.

As one demon was gaining on her, she was relieved as it found itself at the receiving of an ethereal blast from one of her comrades. She regrouped with them, arrow at the ready.

"You should not be here, Sariele." commented the angel who had saved her. "Abbadon gave you orders to watch the skies." She ignored him in order to fire directly into the skull of a demon chasing after a human woman. "You cannot stop their deaths, that is why we were ordered to disregard them, Sariele." Sariele didn't care; as long as she could prolong their lives, even if only for a few moments, it was enough for her. "Your heart bleeds far too much for them." She turned to face him, her face a mask of set determination.

"I would rather have a heart that bleeds with compassion for the loss of _innocent _lives than one cold with apathy for their suffering!" With that she spread her wings to take off when a great rumbling occurred and the gathered angels were nearly knocked off their feet.

"A demon?" she asked.

"No. The collisions caused by the demons were much lighter than that one." another one of her comrades answered.

"It matters not! The Hellguard will stand at the ready!" another declared. Sariele was not so sure, but had little room to say anything. At that moment, a giant stone Warden had slowly trodden into the area. The rumbling from the battle must have woken them from their slumber beneath the earth. Nevertheless, they were not permitted to just walk about as they pleased, and the group of angels took charge of getting them under control.

It was after they had finally managed to wrestle this one to the ground that another angel flew by. "War is here!" he shouted. Sariele felt every inch of her freeze over in fear. _They _were here; that meant that the third kingdom truly was doomed. Indeed everything she had been trying to do had been for naught. Worse was that the humans would not be the only ones judged. 'When the seals were broken, the Four Horsemen would ride forth to punish the wicked, be they the Sons of Man, Lords of Heaven, or the Dregs of Hell.' She knew that story well, and if War truly was here, the others would soon follow.

A great sound filled the air like a loud harbinger and sent her heart thumping against her chest. What she saw next robbed her of breath entirely. He came sauntering down the boulevard and nothing dared to stand in his way. He was enormous in her eyes, then again if she stood completely straight, her meager height would have only barely touched his chest. The daylight barely glinted off of the dingy armor that lined his shoulders and continued down his chest, around a trim waist and legs, down to his armored feet. His left hand- a giant clawed gauntlet of metal- seemed to be the most recent addition to his battle-worn attire. What the armor didn't cover was adorned in the hood of crimson cloth. Those eyes- angry orbs of glowing blue that peeked out from the shadow of the hood with a sternness that could outdo Abbadon- shook her very being and turned her blood to ice in a matter of seconds.

"We will not yield!" a comrade's voice echoed in her mind, dragging her back from her terrified thoughts. As she glanced around, her fellow angels had swooped in and tried to attack him. Sariele wanted to scream out and call for them to retreat, especially when she saw what he withdrew from his back. The sword, which was nearly taller than him and especially wide, covered in carvings of grotesque faces and stained red from bloodshed in battle. She knew that blade- it was nearly as infamous as the Horsemen themselves: Chaoseater. As War swung the blade and it whistled through the air, she could very nearly hear it screaming, demanding the blood-drenched spoils of the battlefield. Those she had fought along with and called her comrades in arms fell in a matter of moments, although her mind's eye seemed to be moving in slow motion. Her face was drenched in hot tears, not that she focused on that. Shaking hands came to cover a mouth that threatened a scream, if she had enough of a voice to do so.

She didn't need to, though. No sooner was he finished, those eyes turned on her. She did the first thing that came to her mind. Attempting to ignore the eyes that burned through her soul and froze her blood at the same time, she turned and fled as fast her wings could carry her. Hellish spires and blood and smoke blurred in her vision as she cried. She wished she had never agreed to help Uriel with this. Looking into the eyes of one of the Four made her wish she had never been born, but what happened next made her wish that she hadn't flown away. She felt the pain before the sensation of being knocked to the side flooded her senses. Pain bloomed in her skull as she hit it hard against the side of a building and for a moment she thought she had heard a sickening crack right in her right ear. She barely had any time to roll away as the Trauma that had hit her raised its giant claw. She wanted to fight back, but with widened eyes, she realized that in her terror at the carnage shown with the Horseman she had dropped her bow. She chastised herself for her foolishness and scrambled back from the towering demon until a new, raw pain erupted from her shoulder when it hit the wall. She let out a cry and huddled to herself as the great beast again raised its claws, clenching her eyes shut in anticipation for the painful and gruesome death.

It never came, however. A low whistle and then a loud squelching sound cut off the demon's triumphant roar, followed by a loud thud. Eyes of a pretty sky blue opened slowly, only to widen exponentially when they found the head of the very demon that attacked her at her side. That sight was followed by the sight of large armored boots and the angel felt her blood freeze all over again. She didn't dare look him in the eye as he towered over her. He watched silently as she lowered her head in acceptance of her fate.

War regarded this child for but a moment, from the short, boyish cut of hair that held the same brightness as the sun- on any day save for today. She still had the roundness of childhood, but her thin body surely showed signs of beginning stages of adolescence. She lacked the armor worn by the rest of the Hellguard, meaning she most likely wasn't meant to see as much battle as some of the elder members. Instead, she wore flexible padding on her forearms and calves. This little one was a ranged fighter, there was no doubt of that, and it was no small fact that she was indeed very brave, but all the same...

Said head snapped up in surprise when she heard a clatter against the cracked pavement beneath her knees. Her eyes glanced upon her bow, laid on the pavement before her.

"Have the Armies of Heaven debased themselves so far as to enlist the aid of children in battle?" he asked. His voice was a harsh rasp that forced a fearful chill up her spine as she bowed forward at his feet. Sariele didn't dare answer, but kept her eyes trained on the ground; if she was going to die, she wouldn't further allow him to see her shed tears. Her surprise came in the form of a small utterance when she watched his feet turn away from her. She had been spared... but how and why? She knew that she was far from being pure and beyond their judgment. Her head raised and she watched quietly as the mysterious armor-clad man disappeared down the carnage-ridden boulevard.

She knelt there for but a few moments before something settled within her- whether it was courage or determination, she wasn't quite sure- but she pushed herself up to her feet and made to fly off when again a raw pain bloomed into her shoulder. She was horrified to discover that the wing on her left shoulder was limp and had lost its glow. Pearly white teeth bit at her bottom lip; she had considered herself useless before when she had not joined in immediately in battle. Now she knew the true meaning of the word useless. If she could not fly, she would never get away. With a deep, calming breath, she straightened her legs and made to step after the Horseman. Her steps were wobbly, unsure, but her resolve was strong; gently, she tucked the injured wing back, letting out a little sound of pain that would naturally come from putting it back. Steadily, she picked up her pace, tracing the footsteps of the Horseman. Her arrows still flew into the flesh of her enemies, another thing she could be grateful for- but she would dwell on that later.

As she took in the environment, she felt a familiar sense of dread fall over her; the Hellguard were in way over their heads. The Third Kingdom was doomed- they may have had impressive technology, but none of it could have prepared them from something as cataclysmic as the Endwar. The question that plagued her mind the most, however, caused her to worry. _Where were the other three Horsemen?_

A loud slam that accompanied a mighty rumble alerted her to the presence of something else- something huge and definitely not another of the Four. She rounded the corner and found War approaching a great lake of lava. All around it, she witnessed the demons overtaking the demons- one angel was ambushed and dragged into the depths of the lava lake. Another was overcome by a prowler and had his neck bitten out viciously. There was a presence here, something far more sinister than any demon- something old and evil. Sariele knew that she could be of use here, but not on the ground. Following a rather steep incline to the top of a building adjacent to the newly formed sulfurous hole. Looking down, she found she had a perfect angle with which to aim in case the presence made itself known. She allowed her eyes but a moment to track down Abbadon- who struck down a demon with his mighty sword before soaring into the sky.

The Hellguard's beloved leader's eye fell on the approaching Horseman and a look halfway between fear and disdain overtook his face. "Impossible..." he snarled. War reached for his sword.

"Abbadon," he demanded, "what is this? Where are my brothers?" Sariele nearly looked to her leader, expecting an answer from him, although it was highly unlikely that Abbadon knew anything.

"This cannot be... the Final Seal..." Abbadon murmured before an airborne enemy attacked, digging razor-sharp teeth into his arm. Abbadon cried out, and when he went to attack, the demon grabbed his wrist and managed to wrestle the sword from his hand. 'What happened?' Sariele wondered; Abbadon never lost concentration like this. If he was distracted, it meant trouble and danger for the rest of the Hellguard. Sariele pulled back an arrow, ready to fire into an enemy's skull, before she heard a cry of 'My Lord,' when Uriel decided to intervene. Sariele watched with admiration as with a powerful swipe, she sliced the enemy's skull down the middle. The demon disappeared into the molten depths below. "How... did this happen?" he growled out angrily. Again he found himself distracted as an unnoticed foe approached, only to be subdued by Uriel. Sariele had to admit that she admired their teamwork, however it made her sick when she saw Uriel's gaze of adoration towards him, as if she were merely waiting for praise.

Her gaze came upon War, who fell to his knees in the middle of the street. Sariele watched him as he seemed to struggle with some sort of immense pain. The nagging thought in her head kept worrying her. Any moment now, she believed, any moment now the other three Horsemen could- and at this point, should- come in to assist their brother. She actually found herself praying that they would. With the way Abbadon was acting right now, the Hellguard needed all of the help they could get, even if that meant they would be judged afterward, as well.

'Don't be daft.' her rational side told her. 'The Horsemen claim no side. They serve the council's bidding- only the balance between Heaven and Hell. The wicked will be punished, one way or another.' _Then why did he save me? _she asked herself. She was nothing special, especially now with a broken wing. _Why did he spare my life? _

A moving shape brought her back to attention. A large, ghastly hand reached upward from the magma, just after Abbadon had said something else in frustration. Sariele's breath once again left her as the hand grabbed at Abbadon. Uriel's cry of her love's name was lost on deaf ears and the angels watched in terror as the giant stone monolith of a hand dragged him into the depths of the magma lake. Uriel's expression of shock and pain turned to one of rage and hate as her golden eyes fell upon the Horseman.

"What in Heaven's name have you done?" she demanded angrily. War remained silent for a moment as he used his great blade as a brace, weakly pulling himself to his feet.

"I answer the call." he rasped out.

From the depths which Abbadon had just been dragged into, Sariele felt the sinister presence closer than ever before. The owner of the stone hand pulled himself out of the pit. Sariele shuddered with recognition- Straga, an ugly demon from the very pits of the Abyss itself. His temper was nearly as bad as his visage and a thick hide in addition to the armor he wore made it nearly impossible to fight him. She knew that the only person with enough strength to- although at the moment she was seriously beginning to question that- was the weakened Horseman. Straga seemed to, by some miracle, know this, too, and swatted the angels attacking him away like flies before turning his attention to War. The Horseman, despite his condition, stood at the ready for battle- a trait that Sariele found she liked quite a bit.

The rumors about Straga's supposed stupidity proved to be true, as in a fit of rage, he threw beaten cars toward his foe, giving War a weapon to throw back in his face. The sudden explosion gave her an idea. She strung her bow and sat in waiting, watching as the giant demon tore up the very streets beneath War's feet and attempting to uproot them. Patiently she waited for Straga to repeat his rage-propelled fit; her patience proved fruitful, as War picked up a small car. In a matter of seconds, Sariele calculated her next move and gazed down the shaft of her holy arrow. This was what she had been training for- what she had endured jeers from the other Hellguard members due to her archaic choice in weaponry for. War threw the car, she exhaled and then let go. Like many of the targets her impressive aim had been fired upon, the arrow hit its intended target dead-on, its holy energy seeping into the car's fuel tank. The force of the explosion so close to his face winded Straga and the light from such an explosion temporary blinded him.

War afforded the tiny angel a small glance of gratitude towards the angel before going into finish the demon. He had managed to jab Chaoseater directly into Straga's eye and had made a mighty leap for the finishing blow when a great sound filled his ears. An aura of black surrounded him and War was in immense pain before he hit the pavement below. Sariele- who had just finished off a horde of flying demons who had spotted her- breathed in sharply as she saw him limping before the injured demon. Straga recovered and sent War back with a mighty backhand swipe.

"The Law... has been broken." At that moment, she knew not what affected him or why, but despair fell over her as the Horseman was grabbed by the giant. One that she had been so scared of because of the power he wielded was now seemingly on his very last limb. Straga cruelly chuckled at the War's futile attempts to break free. The more the fallen warrior tried, the harder his foe squeezed, until War struggled to even breathe. Sariele again felt hot tears roll down her cheeks, this time for him.

"And so have you, Horseman." Straga answered before tossing War only to squeeze him within his fist. He could only hold such strength at bay for a moment before it proved to be too much for him. Sariele turned her tear-stained face away, but the cry still pierced her ears more than the sound of the demon-won Endwar in the distance...

* * *

**Well, that's it for the prologue, I guess you could say. I'll most likely have some more up come after the holidays. Until then, I hope you've enjoyed.**


	2. Chapter One: Crossed Paths

**Okay, so I know that I said that I probably wouldn't upload another chapter until after the holidays, but I found myself with some spare time and I couldn't stay away from this. I thank you for all the lovely reviews so far and I hope that this turns out to be another chapter well written. ^^**

**DISCLAIMER: I do NOT own Darksiders. The game and story belong to the original developers of the game. **

* * *

Chapter One: Crossed Paths

_**"Seek the demon Vulgrim." **__the middle head of the Charred Council ordered. __**"Few can afford his service, but perhaps you can strike a bargain."**_

_"The Council confers with demons now, does it?" War questioned, his glare deepening into one of outrage._

_**"Since the truce was broken," **__the horned head to his left interjected, __**"some demons have fallen from the Destroyer's favor. Vulgrim is one such outcast... he has long sought an audience with us."**_

_"How long have I been gone?" War thought aloud. His only answer came in the form of immense pain in his gauntlet arm, where flames had started to appear. They quickly spread and before he knew it, he was propelled away from the cavern of the Charred Council._

* * *

The earth was quiet and still. Nothing save for crows moved about on the uprooted and cracked streets. Buildings laid empty and withered, threatening to break on their very foundations. The stench in the air was nearly suffocating and could very nearly be seen in the dulled sunlight.

There was one place where the demons had not decimated nearly as bad as the others, a place called 'sanctuary' by one who moved in the shadows, out of the sight of the demons. The abandoned place of worship remained dark, despite the number of candles within the place. She didn't dare light them- fire attracted demons almost exactly like it did moths. Instead she knelt with her head bent down in prayer, hands clasped tightly around a strand of beads. Silent words formed on dried lips, but she dare not say anything aloud. It was an old prayer that she said, one that the humans were quite fond of. Sariele had been coming here and praying like the humans did for more than forty years. It made her calm and kept her hopeful.

A loud slam caused sky blue eyes to snap wide open. The earth trembled beneath her and had she not flipped away in time, she would have been crushed by a fallen part of the ceiling. Her hand reached out reflexively for her trusted weapon, waiting for something, anything. All became quiet again in a matter of moments. Eyes narrowed; quiet meant trouble. Quickly did she cover her eyes with goggles- one of the darkened lenses cracked but still usable- and pulled the hood of the cloth wrapped around her shoulders in a makeshift sort of cloak. Her footsteps were so silent that the calm quiet of the sanctuary was not disturbed until the door closed behind her.

She walked carefully down the literally beaten path, bow and arrow of holy energy ready. These days, the holy matter didn't glow as brightly as it used to, and it took her more shots to make a kill, which is why she was grateful to have very strong legs. Her wings remained tucked beneath her cloak, one still glowing and strong, the other dull and shriveled.

The thick column of dark smoke she spotted in the sky gave her a lead, until she stopped just short of a place ironically named the Seraphim Hotel. In all of her years, she had known that many demons had roosted within, as well as Wicked- empty shells of evil souls left to walk the earth and prey upon any sign of life. Those, she could handle, but the main reason for her coming here was to see if she should move on, especially if there was now a demon here that she could not overtake. With a steadying breath, she kicked the door down and at the next moment had her bow at the ready. A thick column of light from the enormous hole in the ceiling that extended through the floor down to the levels below. Slowly did she enter the room until she felt something rumble around her. Sariele lunged out of the way, out of the path of another pile of rubble that threatened to fall on her. Judging by the groans within the foundations of the building, she didn't have much time before it collapsed on itself. She swallowed back her fear; being stuck in a building with something potentially big and dangerous did _not _strike her fancy. Lifting her goggles, she approached the hole, stepping carefully so as to not disturb the decaying bodies lying about the room. Peeking down, she saw a great crater with flames spread about it, but whatever had landed there was gone.

A growling sound from behind made her brow furrow, angry with herself for not taking note of the bodies that littered the floor. She felt the hand of one upon her and with a snap of her wrist, she turned quickly and swung so hard that she took the head off the Wicked who attempted to grab her. Another found itself in ill favor of a flying arrow from the bow. Sariele delivered a swift kick to another, knocking it over the edge of the pit. A fourth Wicked had decided to come up behind her; she pulled her cloak forward and unfurled her good wing. It pierced through rotted skin like bread and she attempted to suppress a shudder as she felt warm fluid dripping down her steel-like feathers. Pulling the wing back, the creature of evil found itself sliced in half most effectively. She groaned beneath her breath as more approached;. the last thing she wanted was a fight. Fights attracted unwanted attention.

With the choice between fight and flight before, she would be foolish not to pick the latter. Leaping out of the circle of Wicked closing in on her, she rushed away, especially when her ears picked up on loud footsteps. If it was indeed a bigger demon, all the better for her, as bigger demons were known to prey upon the smaller ones. No sooner did she disappear behind the cover of one of the columns of the raised dais at the southern end of the room, she heard the loud whoosh of a sword followed the squelching sounds of Wicked being sliced. It sounded familiar to her, yet she could not recollect from where. When all was quiet save for heavy footsteps, Sariele knew that she wouldn't get away from this thing unless she wounded it. She drew one of her holy arrows and turned to open fire... although just as she let go of her arrow, she wished she hadn't.

The First Horseman of the Apocalypse was not expecting to be shot at as he made his way through the old building. He had already dealt with an annoying infestation in the levels below- a welcoming party, indeed. Now he glared at the nuisance of a holy arrow, watching as it fizzled out of existence before glaring at the shooter. A short gasp was heard and the figure moved from the shadows. The hood from the dirty brown material about its shoulders was pulled from a head of grungy sunlight platinum hair that fell in short, gentle rivulets to frame a heart-shaped face. Wide eyes that glowed the same shade of blue as the horizon line gazed at him. Realization settled within the Horseman as he gazed upon her, the angel child- although she didn't resemble a child anymore. Adolescence had been very kind to her, blessing her with a curvaceous form, though she was very modest with it. A rune, barely visible on the fair, pale skin of her right cheek nearly resembled a bird in flight. Shell pink lips formed a delicate 'O' in her surprise and she seemed to be looking for the right words. Had he not had the very definition of discipline beaten into his head all of those years, he would have thought her immensely attractive.

"I... I can't believe it..." she said, her voice soft and her brow furrowed in her bewilderment. Her hand timidly raised, merely touching the bared fingertips to his armor. She only had a microsecond of a touch before he pulled away. "How?" she asked louder. "I watched you die. How are you here?" He didn't answer her, but merely walked past her. "I apologize for attempting to touch you, but you have no idea..." She trailed off and he stopped, not looking at her, but his head was turned towards his shoulder, indicating that he was listening. "I had to make sure it wasn't just a trick of my mind." He was fully turned to her. For some reason the fear she had when he stared her down that day was absent. "What happened?" she asked.

"I have been blamed for aiding the Destroyer and upsetting the Balance." he growled. A familiar shiver ran up her spine; his tone was as harsh and biting as an order given to a subordinate and his eyes cut through her nearly as bad as his short and simple answer. "As such, I will be the one to see that justice is done." He continued on, away from the young angel.

Sariele pursed her lips before she opened them again to respond. "That's quite a hefty list. First, you'll need a way out of here." she pointed out. "The door I came in is now blocked, but there _must _be another way out. Let me help you find it." War didn't answer, but black smoke sprouted from his gauntlet and then in a whoosh of black smoke, the Watcher appeared directly before Sariele, its six eyes and featureless face surprising her a bit.

"Absolutely not!" it snapped, all six eyes narrowing as it looked over Sariele. With a nasty look, it turned back to the Horseman. "War, we came here to do a job; we cannot afford to be sidetracked this little parasite- and a crippled one at that." Sariele glared poisonously at the servant of the Council, mimicking War almost perfectly.

"First, you are one to talk when you appeared from the Horseman's armor like that. Secondly, yes, it's true that I've lost the ability to fly," she snarled at the Watcher, "but if I let that stop me now, I wouldn't be here today, would I?" she asked. Her gaze focused on the Horseman. "I'm not asking you to look after me; I do a good job of that on my own. Just let me help you."

"Why?" War asked. "What do you have to gain?"

"How about not being crushed by the soon-to-collapse ceiling?" she asked.

War deliberated, his gaze narrowing as he saw the determination in Sariele's eyes. Closing them, he turned back in the direction he was heading. "Keep up." he said briskly before pressing forward. The Watcher afforded her one more nasty look before dissipating back into the gauntlet.

War quickly learned that Sariele meant that she could take care of herself. As he pushed a block towards a raised balcony, she wasted no time in scrambling up one side and then jumping to the raised floor. After that, she hurriedly stepped up the wall to flip back onto a pipe suspended from what was left of the ceiling, walking it like a tightrope before leaping gracefully from the end of it to the floor below, only a few steps behind War. She was also quick to dispatch enemies, whether that meant with a shot arrow or a swing from her bow. Their only way up, they discovered, was through what used to be an elevator shaft, the walls of which were now covered in deeply layered crusts of demonic growth. At first, he thought that he would have to lift her rather than risking her touching it, but she proved otherwise. Quickly yet carefully did she climb until she reached the top, with War quick to follow.

The next room that they had entered was much smaller, but it did give War a view as to the outside of this building, if only for a moment. As he stepped forward, the floor buckled beneath them and they fell to the floor below. Sariele was a little shaken, but not harmed, he learned as she picked herself up. "Just once," she muttered, "just once I would like to go a day without something nearly falling apart over me or from under me." War spared her a glance but said nothing. The hallway they had fallen into lead into another cavernous room, this one overtaken by Wicked- including the tricky Fleshbusters, who if faced with enough impact, could explode.

"Leave the smaller enemies to me." Sariele said, pulling back her invisible bowstring.

It was not a fight to be remembered. The undead enemies faded quickly, although a number who gathered in a corner to await their turn found themselves ambushed by a giant of a demon with large, blazing hands who came crashing in. "Aim right between its horns!" Sariele shouted to him, firing arrows rapidly to confuse it. War rushed in towards it and moved to lodge its sword right between the tiny horns atop the creature's head, only to get pushed backwards and very nearly burned. Sariele kept firing arrows, finally managing to lodge one into its skull. The thing cried out in its pain as the holy matter seeped in, but she knew it wouldn't be enough to penetrate the skull. "Now!" she cried. War moved in once more while the thing was reeling and writhing and with a swift punch from his gauntlet hand he forced the arrow deeper into the demon's skull. While the thing was distracted by its pain, he pinned one flaming hand to the ground with Chaoseater and then delivered two powerful blows to its face before retrieving his sword and leaping towards its head, slicing into where the head had been marked by the arrow point. The thing fell with a loud thud onto the floor before disintegrating into ashes.

When the dust settled, Sariele was left watching War with a pleased expression. War disregarded and continued on, the angel girl close on his heels. This time, he was close to catch the falling rubble from above and ushered Sariele forward until her front smacked onto the grimy floor mere feet in front of him. He cleared the crashing ceiling just in time. She groaned in annoyance and then picked herself up and dusted herself off.

The long ascending hallway was littered with Wicked, nothing for the likes of them. It wasn't until they reached a wide, empty hall with a wide opening in the far wall, inviting War to look outside. The streets were empty save for abandoned cars and the corpses left out in the sun to back. In the distance, there rose a great black obstruction that carved into the sky itself.

"That would be the center of our problems." she spat as she joined War at the edge. "It seems to grow the more the Destroyer's grip tightens around this world, the more suffering he causes."

"How long was I gone?" War asked. Sariele's eyes lowered in sadness and the Watcher appeared from his hiding place.

"In earth years," it rasped, "about a century, long enough for the last of the mouth-breathers to die off." Sariele grit her teeth at it, her eyes burning with hatred.

"You would do well to show respect for the dead!" she hissed.

"Why would I mourn the loss of such miserable, weak things?" it asked.

"Maybe because they are the ones so sacred to your precious balance; maybe because the Endwar was started before they even had a _chance_ to know what they were up against."

"Oh boo-hoo-_hoo_..." the Watcher began, "so much for things I considered lower than dirt anyway."

"Then the Third Kingdom is lost..." War said under his breath, effectively breaking up the argument. Her gaze softened, but her pity was lost when the building began to rumble. Before the young angel could say anything, she found herself scooped up by a large, armored arm and then War made a giant leap to the street below. At one split second, she kept her eyes wide open- this was the highest she had been off the ground in just over a century. She enjoyed it immensely as a sense of familiarity encompassed her- the thrill of flight, oh how she missed it. All too soon, everything literally and figuratively came crashing down. Behind them, the Seraphim Hotel crumbled, crushing Wicked in its wake. War landed so soundly on the cracked asphalt that small geysers of dust rose up around them. He afforded Sariele freedom from his grasp and took in his surroundings. Many roads- now blocked- came to one point.

A light, hoarse laughter alerted him to another presence in the area, but he didn't take note of it until the demon was before him. "Subtle," he hissed, gold eyes gleaming, "I almost didn't hear you coming." He certainly wasn't the pick of the litter- not that any demon was- with gnarling, razor sharp teeth and long, curved claws- the ones on the left were coated in gold, it seemed. Arcane objects and a mysterious green bottle dangled from his belt, not that he needed one, as instead of standing, he hovered. Curved horns adorned his head, the rest draped in purple silk. Sariele shivered.

"Vulgrim." War snarled. The mentioned demon veered around the Horseman, clicking his claws together.

"The council finally took me seriously." he noted aloud. "If so, you're surely not empty handed... or this will be the briefest of introductions." War gave a short nod and raised his gauntlet. The singular stone in the middle began to glow blue and Vulgrim eagerly opened his mouth. Sariele watched in horror as hundreds of souls poured into his mouth in a river of their blue auras. She turned away, unable to bear watching any longer. "Mmmm... there were... a few young ones... Spectacular!" Sariele shuddered; War's eyes narrowed in disgust. It was then that Vulgrim seemed to notice his other visitor. "Sariele," he rasped, almost in exaltation, "you are looking well, little one, were it not for that broken wing."

War could easily sense her discomfort and was also irritated at the demon for having been ignored and thus snarled at the demon in warning. Vulgrim turned back to the Horseman.

"You seek the power behind the one called 'Destroyer'?" He veered around the duo once more. "You will find the answers, and the font of his power... there." One bony, curved finger raised to the black tower. War, satisfied with the answer, made his way for the tower before Vulgrim appeared him once more. "Oh... such haste to die? You aren't even a shadow of your former self." he said, circling War to put himself very close to the Horseman. "You wouldn't last a heartbeat." Sariele bit her lip. As much as she hated to admit it, the demon was right. "Besides, the way to the Tower is shrouded by demon magics... Even I do not know the way."

"Who does?" War demanded. Vulgrim chuckled.

"Feed my hunger..." he said, pulling from thin air an ancient looking device that somewhat resembled a horn. Clapping his hands together, the device disappeared before Sariele could determine what it was exactly. "And I'll feed your curiosity."

She could have sworn that she heard War growl beneath his breath and as he stalked away, she was nearly tempted to follow him, but Vulgrim's voice stopped her.

"Interesting choice in company you keep, Sariele." he commented. She turned her head to watch War, choosing to ignore the demon's comment altogether. "Are you choosing to stand against the Destroyer, as well?"

"I'm not choosing anything right now." she answered. "I just... Helping the Horseman is important right now."

"You won't get very far with a broken wing." Vulgrim responded. "Won't you at least consider my offer?"

"I believe 'no' is what I said last time, and my answer this time will also be 'no'."

The demon sighed. "It nearly pains me to see something so beautiful waste away like this. How much longer do you think you have?" Again Sariele ignored him as the Horseman returned. Sariele closed her eyes so as to avoid watching him devour the souls again. When Vulgrim was satisfied, he gestured toward the building behind him. At first Sariele had thought that the design of the building had been thrown off by the archaic stone front. Closer inspection, however, proved that the stone was a barrier.

"These ancient gates have a mind of their own. But with THIS..." he pulled out the strange-looking horn and held it out to War, who snatched it from the air. "You may reach... an understanding. Beyond the gate, seek out Samael's Prison." Sariele stopped midstride and a fear began flooding her again, causing her breath to leave her in short puffs. If either noticed, they gave no indication. "Once, Samael was close in power to the Dark Prince himself. Some might even say a threat." With that, he began to sink into the hole beneath him. "You will find he is no friend to the Destroyer. Seek me out when you've gathered more souls. I will make it worth your while, and Sariele," he said, snapping the angel from her frightened thoughts, "my offer still stands." With that he fully disappeared into the hole.

War pushed past her to the strange stone barrier and with a deep breath blew into the strange horn. After a moment, the stone rumbled as if to move on its own. The large gates were the coverings on its arms. From behind them, a giant face of rock peered out. Sariele recognized it then as a stone Warden, one of many that had been enslaved by the Destroyer. Upon seeing the two, it straightened itself until it leaned down toward their level. "The Horn call of my ancestors." the golem rumbled. "Awakened at last from a dreamless sleep. Then... we are free?" The hope in its voice was almost heart-wrenching for Sariele.

"None are free while the Destroyer still breathes." War replied.

"Mmmm..." the Warden grumbled. "The Destroyer... yes... To his service we are bound, though enemies we remain." She noticed that the thing's hand clenched into a fist. "So his enemies we call friend." With that, it took its mighty first step towards freedom, shaking the very ground beneath its giant rocky feet. "Pass now, friends. Must bring victory, must bring freedom."

In the silence left in the Warden's wake, both made their way inside, through the ruins of a human library- a building that was also infected with Wicked. Sariele covered War from higher ground as he chopped through the enemy. When the room was cleared, she leapt down and followed War across the scar-like chasm of the great room, her eyes scanning the sad remains of written works. The smell of must was thick in the air and the books were left to rot in disarray- much like this very city.

"Keep up." War's voice in the silence reminded her. Quietly she followed him through the long hallway and again out into daylight.

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**So... this seemed a lot longer when I was typing it on word. Now there really probably won't be a chapter until after the holidays, but that's just because I'm hard at work on the next part. I hope you've enjoyed this early Christmas gift. Happy Holidays to you all. ^-^**


	3. Chapter Two: The Prison of the Dragon

**Hello, readers. I hope everyone had an awesome holiday. As promised, I finally had some time to finish this chapter. I'm so grateful for all of the reviews. Many of them made me laugh and quite a few questions motivated me to finish this chapter in the hopes that they would be answered. At last, we meet Samael... *gulp* I apologize in advance if the action scenes in this chapter are a little shoddy. Fighting is not my forte, but I still gave it my best shot. Please enjoy this chapter.**

**Disclaimer: I do NOT own Darksiders. The game and all of its elements belong to the creators.**

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Chapter 2: The Prison of the Dragon

The path continued through a dilapidated building and onward. Sariele's brow furrowed as she surveyed the damage. The demons had no respect, no reverence for anything other than their precious conquests; they destroyed everything in their paths and killed any sign of goodness, just to mark their territory.

Easily, she could surmise that the singular outcropping of stone standing in the middle of a massive pit of magma was Samael's Prison. By heavy swords and thick chains it was tethered to the center of the pit. The only way in or out was by a walkway of molten rock suspended over the pit. Much to her confusion, there was only one guard, but she still had reason to be afraid. The guard was a Phantom General, far more hard-hearted and ornery than their subordinates. Seeing War walk forward, however, filled her with a little more faith, if not a little more apprehension. The General, upon seeing the improbable duo, let out a cruel laugh, and then began gruffly speaking in its Hellish tongue. War replied back quietly. Again the General laughed cruelly.

"Do you know what's imprisoned here, angel?" he asked, turning its attention on her, then back to War. "There are things even YOU should fear, Horseman! Once you were strong. But now you are weak, and your only ally is a caged bird!" It laughed this time. "The Destroyer knows of your coming. Even now, he moves his legions against you!"

War drew Chaoseater from his shoulder. "Then I will make this quick." He allowed Sariele a quick glance and then rushed towards the General. She, meanwhile, climbed to the top of one of three hideous gargoyle statues and awaited a chance for an opening. He grappled with the demon until shoved back.

"Take this fool's life!" he shouted as hellish portals appeared about his feet, exactly what Sariele was waiting for. Quickly she helped by picking them off one by one, until the General glanced at her. He barked an order for the rest of the troops to take her down. Thankfully, though, she had roosted herself just beyond their grasp and watched as they attempted to leap for her. By then, War had caught on to what they were trying to do and cleaved their legs out from underneath them. The demon, angered to his boiling point, charged them, only minutely slowed down by Sariele's flying arrows. War met his speed while charging forward Chaoseater screeching and casting embers as it trailed behind him. War struck twice, managed to dodge a swipe that only resulted in the Phantom General's axe being stuck in the rock ground of the fortress. With a hefty swipe of Chaoseater, War cleaved the demon's arm off and then took the battle axe and proceeded to hack away at the rest of him until all that was left were bloody quarters of his body.

Sariele carefully scuttled down the statue, only to realize that her palm was covered in warm blood, much to her horror. Looking up, she realized that the statue was actually a fountain that poured blood from the gargoyle's mouth. From there, it streamed through cracks in the floor to the very center of the island of rock. There lay a circle that looked like it opened in sections. It was from there that she felt the choking pressure of Samael's power- a power beyond evil. War and the Watcher, meanwhile had observed the statues, noticing that only one was working.

"The plumbing must be stopped up." it commented. War pushed it forward until there was a loud, metallic bang. From the mouth of the gargoyle, there poured blood, again to the center of the fortress. Beneath their feet, there was a loud roar accompanied by a light quake. Sariele felt the fear rise in her once more. She stepped away from the center of rock as War moved in the next statue. The blood flooded the center circle and the doors sunk in before opening, emitting flames from within. Sariele stepped further back until she was behind War.

The air was suddenly filled with a dark aura, one that made Sariele cringe behind him.

"War!" a deep, thundering voice cried from the pit, "Are you here to play executioner?" From the pit rose the demon Lord Samael himself. He was every bit as terrifying as the stories had depicted him to be, she decided. He was tall, taller even than the Horseman and covered in scales that resembled molten rock. The massive wings, turned upside down as if to emphasize his fallen status, only added to his terrific visage. Thick horns crowned his head and there was a massive scar running across his bared chest from his shoulder to his waist. Every step he took caused the ground to rumble as he made toward them. "They should have sent all four of you. Instead, I am met with you in a weakened state and an angel with a broken wing." Eyes of a glowing ember color glanced at the tiny female behind War. "Never have I been met with a greater insult." he growled. "Tell me, little one, do you believe those stories told about my power now? Are you convinced?" Sariele cringed and shuddered behind War, who held out an arm in front of her.

"Neither she nor I have any interest in killing you, Samael." he assured.

"Ha!" the mighty demon Lord barked. "The Destroyer? He's beyond your reach. Beyond mine."

"Has prison made you a coward?" War challenged. The demon then bent low to let out a loud, fiery roar directly in his face. War stood unfazed, even going so far as to smirk, but he heard Sariele cry out and felt her duck behind him.

"What are we to do, then?" she asked as the demon moved away. The demon Lord smiled maliciously.

"Perhaps there is a way." he responded. "But you will need to get inside the Destroyer's spire. The Tower is guarded by four of his Chosen. Bring me their hearts and ask me no questions." War noticed Sariele put a hand close to her own heart, her countenance troubled before she gazed up at Samael. "My reasons for helping you are my own."

"Where can I find these 'Guardians'?" War demanded.

"First, seek the Twilight Cathedral, where the Bat Queen Tiamat has gone to roost. The whole of her domain is a blistered inferno. By land you will never reach it. Find the high ground," he stated, waving a hand of shadow magic, which appeared at War's shoulders as a pair of dark wings, "with this. And bring me her still. beating. heart!"

War took off without needing further explanation and just as Sariele was about to follow, a giant, branding grip ensnared her arm and she was pulled back towards the demon.

"I know nor care not how you plan to help the Horseman, but you will not get very far with those weak projectiles of yours." he growled. "Strange that one so young chose a weapon I have not seen since my early days, but it matters not." She cried out in pain as a fiery energy stormed about her forearm and she could almost feel the searing heat embed itself deep beneath her skin. All at once, Samael let go and the pain and the heat were gone.

"What was that?" she asked.

"Make it to the Cathedral and you might find out." he hissed before enfolding himself within his massive wings and disappearing through a portal. Sariele inspected her arm for just a moment before realizing that War had already left her behind. She dashed down the path only to watch him safely glide to the other side.

She took in a moment to survey her surroundings and then jogged back a few meters, putting her bow over her shoulders. She took off at a run along the side of a building that reached over the chasm to where War was. Her speed picked up into a full sprint until she began dashing across the side of the building and then leapt for the streetlight, managing a full spin around it and landing with a slight tumble. Quickly she pulled her bow off her shoulder and began firing arrows.

As soon as they were finished with those enemies, he glided on ahead, into a tunnel that was a little bit higher up for Sariele to merely make a running jump into. This didn't stop her, though. She fired an arrow, this one having a rope of holy energy attached to it, just above the entrance to the tunnel. When she was sure it was secure enough to support her weight, she grasped it firmly and with a deep breath swung over. When her feet hit the wall of rock, she rapidly began climbing until she reached the ledge and hoisted herself up. He barely gave her a moment to breathe before she had to run to keep up with him.

Their path led them through an apparent river of lava. Upon reaching a high ledge that War knew Sariele would have difficulties with, he again looped an arm around her waist and leaped into the air, unfurling the shadowy wings. The shadow current he flew over propelled them quickly into the air. When he let her down, she quickly continued on their path by hoisting herself up onto a wall covered in demonic growth. He was close to follow; they were halfway past this obstacle when Sariele noted in a whisper something that would make this a little more challenging. War noted it, too- a growth of demonic tissue, covered in skulls that were meant to act as a camouflage against the crusty demonic growth. She felt herself pull closer to the wall as War reached and climbed over and past her and with a mighty swing slashed at the thing. A shrieking sound was heard and it shrunk back into the wall. He didn't wait for Sariele, but he didn't hear a sound out of her. Instead, she climbed as fast as she could to catch up with him on the other side. When War glided to the opening on the other side, he half expected her to ask him to come back and help her.

But she didn't. Instead, she backed up as far as she could and then made a dashing leap, barely clearing the edge. She was back on her feet and following War within moments. Though afterward they came across a wide delta of magma. Sariele could see two shadow currents that would propel War across, but...

"There's no way for you to cross this." he pointed out. Sariele still stepped forward, eyes set on the other side of the chasm. She drew her arrow and breathed. Again an arrow attached to a cable of holy energy whistled through the air and with a loud clang, it penetrated deep into the wall of rock. She walked to the wall behind them and with a quick, powerful jab struck another arrow into the stone. She pulled on it to make sure it was secure and then grabbed onto it. Quickly, one hand in front of the other, she shimmied across. Every movement was fluid, sure, yet she mainly focused on getting to the other side. Sweat beaded rapidly from her furrowed brow not only from the lava a mere foot beneath her boots, but also from her concentration on the other side. Her hands began to sting with the effort, and there were a few times when she had to stop in order to secure her grip, but with a hefty sigh of relief, she finally dropped to the other side. War was quick to catch up, merely gliding to the other side, passing her a look.

"I'm not without my resources." she replied. War regarded the tiny angel with suspicion as she walked on, bow at the ready. It had been a long time since he had met anyone who had wanted to help him, at least without immediately voicing their want for something in return. The fact that this angel was assisting him, even when knowing of the dangers they both might face- with her in all the more danger from even associating with him- was disturbing.

Still, here she was, even when Samael said that by land, they would never reach the Cathedral. Then again, if she crossed a river of magma mainly by her own wiles, then she would probably not be deterred by inaccessibility. He followed quietly behind her.

The area they emerged into was oddly quiet, but certainly not peaceful. Hellish lanterns with cages made of giant thorns lit the way under trees of blood-red leaves. War knew these trees- ones that thrived on the blood of the dead. How appropriate, he noted, that a few yards away he could make out the shapes of human gravestones.

"Stay close." he murmured. Sariele nodded and quietly followed in his footsteps. She clearly didn't like this place; it felt like something was just waiting to jump out at them from the shadows. No sooner was she going to say something about this, something with razor-sharp claws ensnared her around her shoulders and before she knew it, she went airborne. Looking up, she caught the long fangs dripping with foul saliva before she noticed the lantern-like eyes of the Duskwing. It took her only a moment to react and she produced an arrow that immediately went into the abnormally large bat's heart. Blood spurted on her as the thing shrieked soundly and let go. Sariele thanked the Light that the thing had only managed to make it a few meters off the ground. She landed in a crouching position, trying to relocate War, who had busied himself with the skeletal enemies that seemed to be digging their way out of the graves. A loud, almost splitting shriek alerted her to the arrival of another Duskwing, which she quickly turned on with a drawn arrow. The demonic creature fell within seconds.

Behind her, however, she heard a Hellish moan. Turning slowly, she spotted a Fleshbuster that had seen her and began to charge right for. She pulled another arrow, but then something began burning her arm. She winced against the pain, pressing a hand against her forearm where Samael had touched her. She watched with horror-stained curiosity as fiery runes appeared on her bow. Instinct had her drawing back an arrow- one that was lit ablaze. With a deep breath, just as the evil undead creature was about to descend upon and strike at her, she fired. The thing writhed in agony as flames hotter than the hellish ones within consumed it. Unfortunately, she was not able to clear the ensuing blast in time and while she was not burnt from such an explosion, the motion did send her tumbling. She recovered in time to see a skeleton warrior pick up her bow.

With a grimace, she charged the creature and managed to dodge a swing of its sword as it parried. With a leap and a jab of her knee right into its cranium, it became disoriented and dropped her bow. Sariele cart-wheeled over it and turned in time to block another blow with the staff of her bow. The strength it took to block the creature's blow matched the strength it swung its weapon with. The two were at a complete standstill until she twirled into its arms so that her back was to where its chest would be and then threw herself back until it hit one of the trees. Bracing herself with her uninjured wing by folding it upward, she rammed back into it again so that it became disoriented and weak. The tree, not taking well to this, shot its roots up at the skeletal warrior, binding it and jarring it this way and that. With a cry, Sariele jabbed her bow- which possessed a crystal-looking point, like a sword- into its cranium. The warrior slumped before her with death. Rapidly, she drew the weapon from its skull and fired through the temple of another skeletal warrior that was coming up to strike at War from behind. War shot her an unreadable look.

The area had cleared and War had not said anything to her, but she did not let it bother her. Instead she followed him, even when tired and bruised and covered in dirt. Not once did she complain. Down a low, wide slope they went, until they came across another gate. War grabbed a hold of the Earthcaller and through it gave a loud, long, low call that echoed into the dark, overcast sky. The stone awakened and shifted once more until a sleepy stone Warden appeared.

"I have come for the Destroyer." War declared.

"My brothers spoke of your coming." the Warden murmured as it leaned over the two of them. "But a powerful curse holds me now. I cannot help you." It lowered its head in shame.

"Any curse can be broken." War assured.

The thing nodded. "Yes... perhaps..." it droned. "These servants of the Destroyer walk unseen within the Realm of Shadow. By their blood we are bound... By their blood shall we be free."

"I can no longer move within the Shadow Realm." War admitted. "Much of my power has left me." The Warden leaned closer.

"You need not enter it!" it insisted with a shake of its head. "I will grant you the power to see into the accursed realm, for a time. But to what end? What hope have we against the Destroyer's foul sorcery?"

"Hope will not bring you freedom." he growled as he drew his sword. Sariele bit her lip, but said nothing in disagreement.

"Yes..." it droned. It then proceeded to grant War the tremendous gift by letting the shadowy essence flow like a mighty tidal wave from its open mouth. War braced against it, allowing the magic to dye his eyes a bright orange color.

Its eyes turned to her once it was done. "I am sorry that I can grant you no such power. Were only angels allowed such ability, it would prove more than useful for your kind." She shook her head in response.

"I understand, and I appreciate any help you can give him where I cannot." she said gently. The stone giant then proceeded to return to his forced slumber and War turned about to find the Shadow-Lurkers, as the Watcher called them.

"They can't be that hard to find." it snarled. Sariele rolled her eyes. War stopped and nearly caused her to bump into him. He was looking hard at something on the ground, although clearly it was invisible to Sariele. War, however, saw a small, low steppe- a portal, he guessed. From it, there rose above the tree line a beacon of sorts, a beacon made to look like an eye with a slit pupil that was currently watching them.

"War?" she addressed softly. He stepped forward, onto the platform, and drew Chaoseater from his back.

"Stay here." he said. Although secondarily confused, she nearly had a heart attack when a flash ensued and he vanished from sight. She looked around the quiet grounds, but still found nothing. The silence made her uneasy, but the noise made her jump, too. Looking all around, she began to wonder where he had disappeared to.

"War?" she cried out.

War snapped his armored wrist to wipe away the blood of the demons he had just slain as a part of the Shadow-Lurker's trial. The gates had opened and the giant orange eye of the monstrous being widened in panic. A loud shrieking filled the room as a massive puddle of blood spilled onto the floor of the round chamber.

"Now THAT was entertaining." the Watcher hissed. "Can we do it again?" War ignored it and entered the portal once more.

What he returned to was a frantic angel girl who was fighting off enemies that dared come too close. In truth, he was rather surprised that she hadn't left yet, but he shrugged it off and instead watched her move. He had always believed that the technique angels used to fight was more graceful- and a little more showy for his liking. Sariele was neither when she fought hand to hand. Her movements were quick, labored and sometimes clumsy, like she had never been trained...

He marched in, Chaoseater screaming for bloodshed. War rushed past the exhausted angel, who had crouched near the ground, prepared to rush back in. Imagine her surprise when she saw him rush in. He dealt with the enemies quickly; she had to envy how easy it seemed to be for him, even in such a weakened state. When he turned back to her, she stood up slowly, wincing only slightly at her aches from exhaustion. He surveyed her, still piercing through her very being, and she knew he was getting irritated with her. Then, she did something that surprised him- she glared right back at him. This was the same angel that had knelt at his feet, her eyes stained with tears, trembling with fear; but that had been centuries ago. He realized, looking into those glowing eyes of sky blue that she had seen things he believed no child should ever have to see- things that would make anyone go mad. She seemed very level-headed, in fact.

"I know that I'm beginning to wear on your patience," she began, slowly advancing toward him, "but like it or not, I am trying to help you."

"I do not need help." he growled.

"Everyone needs help." she argued. "It is only a matter of whether one will allow help."

"And what will you gain if you help me? By helping me, you are helping one condemned by the Council, by all of creation. You will never gain your flight back."

"Since when do you need a reason to help someone?" she asked. "Unlike many, I was taught better than that."

"I am not asking for pity, nor for charity." War growled.

"What a coincidence; I'm not offering them." she quipped. "I'm helping you because I feel I am doing at least _some_ good for someone."

"You will get yourself killed."

"Have a little faith." she replied flatly. "Believe me, it's gotten me this far." This time it was her turn to walk away from him.

"He offered you the ability to fly again, didn't he?" War asked, causing her to pause mid-stride. She turned back to him. "Vulgrim offered to restore your wing for you. What did he want in return?" Sariele grimaced, but kept her gaze fixed on the ground.

"He wanted the one thing- the one part of me that remains pure." she said lowly. He could sense the disgust in her voice, not that he could stop his own disgust from showing on his face. "I would rather lose both of my wings and live as a human than lose that part of myself to a demon."

"There's more to it than that." War pointed out, finally turning to her. The corners of Sariele's lips lifted in a slight smile and she nodded.

"Someone once told me that angels are more than just a pair of wings. Being stuck on the ground for as long as I have, it puts things in a new perspective for me."

War wasn't sure he quite understood her logic, but all the same he nodded in an attempt to look like he understood and led the way towards the next trial. When War stood on the portal, he gazed at Sariele, who glanced at him with a hopeful gaze. He nudged his head to the side as if to motion to her to get on the portal. Another faint smile played at her lips and she hopped on with him. "I cannot guarantee your safety." he reminded her. Her smile widened a little.

"You focus on killing things and doing as much damage as you please." she assured. "I've got your back."

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**There's chapter three, my dear readers. I really do hope you've enjoyed this part. More to come soon. ^^**


	4. Chapter Three: The Broken Stair

**Happy New Year, my lovely readers. I hope your celebrations were filled with fun and memorable moments. So all I have to say is that I am slightly grateful that a snowstorm cancelled my work for today, as I spent all day working on this. I would've finished it sooner, but I am also in the middle of *attempting* to read the _Lord of the Rings _and I'm nearly finished with _The Two Towers_, so I spent a day catching up on that as well. I certainly have been on an action fix since seeing _The Desolation of Smaug_, so I tried to be nice and descriptive for you without getting too much into the (literal _and_ figurative) bloody, gory details. This chapter certainly seemed longer when i wrote it, so I hope that you enjoy it, and many, many thanks to the awesome reviews. I'm so, so excited to see where this goes. ^^ Alright, anyway, on with the chapter.**

**Disclaimer: I do _not_ own Darksiders. It belongs to the original developers of the game.**

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Chapter Three: The Broken Stair

War did not necessarily agree that Sariele could help him, but it was now more than clear that she would not be swayed by anything he could say. He had to admit that part of him admired her intrepid if not foolish attitude. As she stepped after him into the center of the room, she couldn't help but notice how eerily quiet it was. She was brought from such thoughts when she heard the sound of creaking and grating as a huge gate rose from the floor. The hairs on her neck stood up when she heard the sinister laughter. Something was nearby, she could feel it, even though she was not able to see it like War could.

"Here they come." he growled. From above, she watched as the Duskwings dropped down, surrounding them. Slowly, she drew an arrow and aimed, taking a deep breath. One of the giant bat demons saw that she was ready to attack and took the initiative, diving for the angel, preparing to swoop in to claw her. Instead, its head was caught by a giant clawed gauntlet and slammed to the floor. As it recovered, Sariele leaped over it, leaning over mid-leap to fire an arrow into its skull. She was quick to recover from her easy kill as the enraged demons swarmed them, soaring well over their heads, rolling midair to avoid her arrows. War, however, went for a simpler solution; leaping high, he grabbed one by its grotesque face and impaled its entire head from under its open jaw. The bat fell dead. Another fell to one of Sariele's arrows, only to be decapitated by Chaoseater. The Duskwings, sadly, turned out to be the easiest enemies to defeat. Soon, the duo was met by far more difficult demons.

True to her word, Sariele kept the demons off of War's back, whether it was by a flying arrow or a swing of her bow. When it came time to help with the far more difficult enemies, she let War have a wide berth as she took out any and all smaller annoyances. At the trial's end, when War was about to charge another flame-handed enemy, he caught the sight of a flying arrow hitting another smaller demon. His larger kill faded into embers at his feet, signifying that the trial was over. He glanced at Sariele, who after placing her bow to hang across her shoulder before looking at him, wanting to continue. Not hesitating even for a moment, he moved toward the Shadow-Lurker, which was looking for a way to get out of its current predicament, its singular eye glancing all around, widened frantically. Sariele winced as it screeched in agony and a fount of blood splattered onto the floor. He turned to her and lightly tilted his head as if to urge her to follow.

They returned to the shadowy realm to find everything deathly quiet.

"This silence... it almost makes you forget..." she murmured. He glanced at her, watching her sullen face. Instead of clarifying, she turned back to him, having to crane her neck slightly from where she had been standing. "Where do we go from here?" War lifted his head to the horizon and then walked toward the next one.

The next trial was one that Sariele had to stay out of and watch as War killed each enemy with a powerful-if not sickening- finishing blow. It disturbed her to realize that she was not fazed by the massive amount of blood her associate spilled, but slightly assured when she remembered that this was a means to an end. Still, she had no desire to ever be at the receiving end of a blade such as Chaoseater. When all was said and done and again the floor was stained red with Shadow-Lurker blood, she returned with him.

"How many do we have left?" she asked.

"Only one." he responded. He made his way towards it, with her quick to follow.

As they entered the last hollowed room, War stopped Sariele. Something seemed very wrong about this. Before he could push her back into the sanctity of the niche where the exit would be, the gates closed and the last Shadow-Lurker laughed in sick glee. Instead, he pushed her to the side. "Climb." he told her. She looked around to see why, and all of a sudden knew exactly why: without warning, the room had begun to fill with a sickly green poisonous mist. Already, he had charged amidst a swarm of Wicked, braving the poison. Sariele needed only a moment of watching from the sidelines to realize what she had to do. Clenching her jaw, she took off her shawl and rapidly folded it a few times and then tied it tightly at the back, creating a crude gas mask. With that, she rushed in and began firing; the short range blows effectively killed the enemies, and any who got too close to her were subjected to her swift swing or a flying kick. Unfortunately, she began to feel the poison set in, but she bit it back. War, who was also fighting against the poison, felt a wave of annoyance wash over him as he saw the angel clearly disobeying him. Biting against the pain of the poison, he shoved his enemy back and shuffled back until he was back to back with Sariele. He was angry, she could tell, but she was here, and she wouldn't turn back now. Even when her insides began to burn with the poison, she forced herself to stand on shaky legs and keep fighting. When the last of the enemies faded into nothing but withering embers, he noticed that she slumped with exhaustion and pain. Her shoulders heaved with her deep, labored breaths, but they gradually became less and less labored. A moment later, she stood straight, as if the poison hadn't deeply affected her.

He dispatched the Shadow-Lurker quickly and then ushered Sariele out so roughly that when the angel reappeared in the earth realm once more, she nearly tripped over her own feet. She backed away a few feet when War reappeared, his eyes blazing still with the power to see into the Shadow realm. She did not shake, she did not whimper, but she was still somewhat afraid of him. As he approached her, she stood tall, staring him directly in the eye.

"You could have been killed." he growled.

"So could you." she retorted. He grimaced at her. "There wasn't going to be an easy way for you to finish that trial without my help. I knew the risk I was taking, trust me." War merely glared at her. From his gauntlet seeped the black essence of the Watcher.

"We got the last of them, now let's get out of here!" it wheezed impatiently.

He said nothing, but kept walking. Sariele sighed but followed War back to where the Warden awaited its freedom. War once more took the horn and summoned the Warden. The massive creature stood to its full height and began taking earth-shaking steps, relishing in its freedom.

"Ancestors praise you!" it said as it walked away. War and Sariele continued ahead, their path taking them through a series of tunnels and down a massive drainpipe. Finally, they reached a massive tunnel, like one the humans used to traverse on in their motor vehicles. This one, however, seemed to have a massive ravine dug into it right through the middle. There were plenty of shadow currents that War could glide along.

"How will you cross?" he asked. Sariele was slightly amazed and relieved that he didn't seem to be angry with her now. She observed for only a moment- it was all she needed.

"Distract that Duskwing." she said as she began to fiddle with her bow, summoning an arrow of holy energy. She kept touching it until she had a several loops of glowing cable attached to it. Catching on immediately, he marched in, catching the creature's attention and then leapt up to grab its face like he was going to instantly kill it. Instead, he reached for the hand of the angel girl below. When her hand clasped with his, he hoisted her up so that she was on the struggling creature's back. With an inordinate amount of strength, War pulled himself level with the beast and then pried its lower jaw down. Sariele, with some maneuvering, looped the cable around its upper jaw. War dropped down and watched as Sariele maneuvered the thing forward, across the ravine. When she was where she needed to be, she took the arrow and stuck it into the brain of the Duskwing and then leapt off, landing again with a tumble, but recovering just in time to clear the rest of the flock from War's path. The Horseman joined her on the other side in no time at all. In truth, War had to admit that he was impressed with her improvisation, not that he would ever do so aloud.

When they journeyed on into a wide open room, they were met with a demonic seal blocking the path onward. War withdrew Chaoseater and Sariele drew a quick arrow, especially when the demons came up in hordes. This time, War wasn't as concerned as he was in the poison trial. He paused for a moment in his head. Concerned? What reason did he have to be concerned? Sariele had chosen to come this way with him. Her well-being was of no concern to him. Besides, as he spared himself a fraction of a second to look over at her, he could plainly see that she was doing just fine, having swept the legs out from underneath a demon and then stabbed him with one of her newly-formed arrows. One demon came running up to her so fast she almost missed it and ended up hitting it point blank.

When the dust settled, War gazed upon her- her blonde hair matted and darkened while it soaked with sweat, her face splotched with grime and blood, her eyes wide with alert, but also fatigued.

"Do you need a moment?" he asked to her panting. She shook her head negatively.

"I think I'll be alright." she sighed as she straightened herself out.

The path onward led through another part of the tunnel and finally out into the open air. Over their heads, there was a long roadway, broken into pieces by ascending order, that stretched out over a great ravine. Sariele's head turned, as if she were observing something important; her eyes narrowed in concentration. She took a few steps away from War, who watched with unease, wanting to know if she would find what it was she sought. Her gaze finally fixed southward.

"I think may have found a place where we can gain our bearings." she said quietly, pointing in the direction her eyes were focused. War moved towards her and looked in the direction that she was pointing. He nodded in his assent and also studied the landscape. When he saw that the best way to get onto the broken road above was by the giant hole in the wall of the building before them, one story above their heads, he made to walk into the building. Sariele made to follow when she felt something very familiar in the air. Further inspection gave her nothing but a sense of unease. She turned and dashed to catch up with War, who had begun his ascent with a few Wicked coming down the stairs to greet him. She helped pick them off from a distance and then dashed up the stairs after him. With only a few Wicked to stand up to them, they were quickly at the hole.

War, wanting to cross quickly, as he felt a pressing twinge of unease at the openness of the area, grabbed Sariele around the waist and held her against his chest. The young angel was rightfully surprised, but all the same when he jumped, she felt her hand clutch his armor as they were lifted higher into the air by the shadow current and then lowered onto the ground of the overpass safely. She waited for him to set her down, but he never did. Instead, he carried on with her safely in tow and leapt the next two gaps with ease. Having him carry her like this made her wish for once in a very long time that she had the ability to fly again.

As he walked across the last part of their path, he was about to reach the ledge to jump over to the roof of a nearby building when a large crash alerted the both of them. They turned back to see one of the many parked cars that lay abandoned along the broken overpass fly off the edge. At the other end of the overpass came a hulking mass of demonic muscle. Sariele was horrified to recognize such a mass as a Trauma- the very demon that War had saved her from all those years ago- when things had been much easier. Now he was facing that thing weak- and apparently alone. No sooner had the hulking thing made it known that it was rampaging toward them on the third partition, sending cars flying off the track to crash into the ravine below, War took a deep breath and then swung Sariele across to the top of the building, despite her protests. She grabbed for the edge and pulled herself up just in time. The Trauma made a mighty leap over the ravine to the third partition, where War was waiting for it. She watched with horror as he charged the beast, trying to find an opening. That was much easier said than done on this particular demon, especially when it came to the especially long claws that nearly made quite a few good swipes at him.

Sariele watched in panic for a moment and then realized there was something she could do to help, even she wasn't sure how much good it would do. The feel of her bow in her hands proved to be of great comfort, but not for shooting arrows- not this time. The Trauma's hide was far too thick for that. Instead, her hand found the very center of her bow, delicate, but skilled fingers twisting the hidden ring there until she felt a very familiar click. The whistling of the revealed double blades caused her to shudder as she thought about what she was about to do. With a deep breath, she backed up and then took a dashing leap back onto the third partition, onto the back of the creature. With a swift jabbing motion, she stuck the thin blades right in between the giant spines protruding from its shoulders. The Demon roared in pain and thrashed about, reaching behind its head to wrench her off its back. She used her hidden sword to swing her body away from its sharp claw. It shook its shoulders in an attempt to wrestle her off.

"Get it, now, while its distracted!" she called out. War took the initiative and charged, cleaving off the thing's left claw, then its right just as quickly. With a great leap, he stood on the thing's massive shoulder and both of his clawed hands grabbed at its hideous face. The next thing Sariele heard was the distinct _crack_ of its neck breaking before it fell forward. War picked her up and set her right. She was slightly winded, but she seemed fine, he noted. When she was brought back from her stupor, she remembered her twin swords and reached for them. It took a good yank to pull them from where they had been deeply embedded in the Trauma's flesh. Looking at the blood that stained the faintly glowing silver, she smiled morosely. "Would you believe that before today, I had never had much luck with swordplay." she said, facing War. The Horseman was slightly curious, waiting for her to continue as she flung the blood from both blades and then sheathed them, one over the other. "We were taught to always taught to be prepared. It helps to have them with me, just in case. I just always get scared of my inexperience when I have to use them."

"It's not inexperience that should frighten you..." War murmured as he began to walk away from her. "Do I need to throw you across again?"

It took her a moment to understand what he meant- to the building she had jumped from initially. Feeling sheepish at having jumped from the path, she stepped forward, her bravado back. "I would prefer _not_ being thrown, if you don't mind." War nodded in assent and took her offered arm, tugging her towards him, arm around her thin waist tightly before he jumped. She closed her eyes, head leaning against the broad chest plate right in front of her face. When they landed again, War saw no point in setting her down and walked on. Something caught Sariele's attention and she jerked in War's arms as she looked around, her gaze fixed on the darkened sky.

"What is it?" War asked.

"I don't know." she murmured. "Do you feel like... like we're being watched?"

"The Destroyer may have sentries out looking for us." he said.

"No, it's not that." she replied, her brow furrowing. She shrugged it off and allowed him to carry on. When the two arrived in the ruins of the old building Sariele had motioned to earlier, with War gliding through a crater-sized hole at one of its corners, the two noticed a barrier of demonic energy, guarded by a demonic eye- not the only one Sariele thought she was being followed by as of late. As they neared it, the ruby red eye closed.

"I have seen gates like this before." War stated. "It needs a specific kind of key. Only with the key in our possession will the keyhole present itself."

"Do you know where such a key could be?" she asked.

"It's never far from the gate." he answered. "Most likely it is still somewhere within this building."

"Why do I have a feeling then that it's either heavily guarded or very well hidden?" she deadpanned.

"Would you leave a key to a gate that guarded something laying around?" he asked. She nodded in acknowledgement at his point and carefully, silently, she followed him towards the stairs to the lower levels. Sure enough, a few demons awaited. While War kept them occupied, Sariele began the search through the ruined building. She groaned when her search of this level went without success. She rushed down the stairs to the next level, meeting another demon grunt halfway. Gripping the banister, she gave a good solid kick that sent it tumbling back down. Two Wicked that were wandering around found themselves at the receiving end of her arrows. She was just about to give up her search and go find War when her eyes came across a large, morbidly ornate chest hidden away in a forgotten alcove. She didn't need to call War, as he had been catching up with her. He shoved her back and then pounded in the lid of the chest and shoved the remnants aside. He pulled out a sharp-looking blade with a ruby-red eye at the hilt. She didn't know exactly how this qualified as a key, but she didn't dare question it, either. They returned to the gate; Sariele became sickened- yet bit it back as best she could- when War took the blade and stuck it violently into the eye of the gate. The creature withered away, clearing the path.

This time, Sariele was more than sure that she had seen something. There was no mistaking it this time. As War continued on, he too saw the glowing wings of angels- heavily armored angels that swarmed the building. He pushed Sariele against the building as three of them, armed with the projectile glaives flew overhead. "This way." one of them said lowly.

"It's nothing." another insisted. "Some demon trick."

"I know what I saw." the first replied.

"He's right." a female voice said from above, causing Sariele's breath to altogether leave her body. Immediately she wanted to be gone from that place. More importantly she wanted to get War away from them, memories of their biting words and curses echoing fresh in her mind. War looked up and found Uriel, golden wings and all as she lowered herself towards the very top of the building. Sariele tugged at War's arm and with a sideways nod, quietly led him back down the stairs. At the bottom of the stairs, he took notice of the heavenly beast and made sure that Sariele saw it as well. She nodded in understanding and dashed to keep up with him, no longer concerned about keeping quiet. In a swift and terrifying moment, Sariele was scooped up and war made an incredible leap across a gap between buildings. She made for action as he took another bounding leap onto an angel flying between them and the white griffon and landed on the beasts back, kicking its previous rider off.

Needless to say, the griffon was not happy at all about the alarming circumstances, at least until Sariele reached forward and gently stroked the feathers on its neck, murmuring soothing words as War ushered it along. She heard Uriel's cry for the rest of the Hellguard to engage in pursuit.

"Can you take them down?" he asked.

"Not mortally; my arrows may only stun them." she answered as she pulled her goggles down over her eyes..

"That's all we need." Again he lifted her, but only so that he could trade positions with her. War guided the griffon down into a series of tunnels, the angels of the Hellguard in hot pursuit until hit with Sariele's arrows. Any that she could not hit and spare were destroyed by War's firing of the glaive, much to her remorse.

They emerged from behind a waterfall, only to be bombarded by attacks from all around. War had the griffon dive down in order to escape them. Sariele clung to him around the waist and closed her eyes, her forehead digging into his armored shoulder. When she pulled away, she noticed one of the angels with a Redemption cannon charging the weapon. Sariele knew what was coming- she knew just as song as she saw the three orbs looming before them.

"War, get down!" she shouted. She took three arrows at a time and fired. All three exploded before the armored angel could get away. She watched as he fell into the ravine, unconscious.

They were chased through the ruins. War focused on traversing through the jungle of skyscrapers and Hellguard angels, even flying through the hollowed remains of a wide building; Sariele focused, meanwhile, on disarming and stunning them, mentally apologizing to each of them as she spared a second to watch them fall out of the sky. All of a sudden, the angels started flying back.

"They're retreating." she told him.

"But why?" War asked. He flew them into the great, gaping mouth of the cavern. It was there that tiny demons began to swarm them.

"There's too many of them." she said.

"They're not after us." he replied. "They're flying away from something." Duskwings emerged from the magma below, covered in fire. Sariele pulled the glaive from War's hand and fired upon it. It was nearly knocked from her hands, however when War abruptly steered the griffon away from nearly being skewered by a rising stalagmite. "Hold on." he called over his shoulder. He ushered the mount higher, only to be nearly attacked by a rather large demon with giant bat wings. Sariele began opening fire on it.

"Stop!" War ordered.

"But it just tried to attack us!" she argued.

"We'll follow it through the caves." he said as he watched it dove to a lower part of the cylindrical cavern. " Sariele didn't like it, but consented nonetheless. When they entered the next tunnel, there was no sign of the creature, not until it soared over their heads and attempted a fiery projectile attack right at them. "Now you can shoot at it!" he shouted.

"With pleasure." she replied. She began rapidly shooting arrows at it while War made sure that he stayed well away from its projectile attacks.

They had entered a narrow cavern when it looked like it was on its last limb. War took over and fired a shot at it. It dissipated into embers that they flew through into open air, into a caldera of lava. In the center, on an island of its own, was the Twilight Cathedral. Sariele barely took notice of the gargantuan flying creature flying around its steeple until it came too close for them to evade it. She was jostled as the beast attacked them head-on. Strong arms of steel grabbed her and pulled her to a solid chest and Sariele had just registered that it was War before being jarred by a rough landing on the concrete below. Wincing in pain, she pushed herself up and met War's gaze. He had taken the brunt of the damage, landing flat on his back on the pavement. Sariele gasped.

"Are you alright?" she asked softly.

"I have lived and been revived through much worse." he rasped. She realized then that he wanted to get up and quickly scrambled up off of him. The Horseman pushed himself off the pavement and looked over the angel girl. Aside from a deep gash that was dripping its way down her cheek, she looked fine. She wondered what all the fuss was about and winced as her fingertips grazed the nasty cut.

"I'm fine." she insisted to War after a second of recovery. It was true, too. The gash was nothing more than a slight sting, the least of her worries. Their similar gazes were brought to the heavenly mount that was now fighting the giant bat stories above them. The bat- which she could only now assume as Tiamat- grappled with the griffon, tackling it towards the roof and out of sight.

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**Cookies for anyone who found the book reference there. ^^ Anyways, with my work schedule all scrambled from the snowstorm here, I'm not sure when I will post another chapter (one of the many downsides, I assure you) but I promise I will upload it the moment I am finished. **


	5. Chapter Four: The Twilight Cathedral

**Hello, awesome readers! Sorry I haven't been back to update for a while. I forgot while writing this that the Twilight Cathedral is probably one of my least favorite levels and I kept letting myself get distracted, but I finally got this part down. This is actually the longest of my chapters thus far, so I hope you like that. I apologize if some parts are a little more scantily written or if the combat seems a little repetitive. Like I said, this is my least favorite areas and I didn't want to get too into it. Either than that, I hope this chapter has been worth the wait. ^^**

**Disclaimer: I do NOT own the Darksiders universe. That belongs to the original developers/authors of said universe.**

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Chapter Four: The Twilight Cathedral

"Tiamat, I assume?" the Watcher wheezed as he materialized from War's gauntlet. "Guess she wasn't up for having visitors today."

The first thing that she noticed as War kicked the large wooden doors of the ancient building in was the coarse stench, like something- _multiple_ things- were left to die and rot. She did her best not to look, knowing that if she did, nothing would keep her from vomiting on the floor of the Cathedral entryway. Their hollow footprints echoed through the room, pausing as they surveyed the latched door.

"I'm going to guess you can't kick this one down, too." she said. War didn't answer her; his gaze was more or less fixed on the kneeling angel statue just behind her, the way its hands seemed to be trying to reach for something. Gazing to the other angel just behind him, he fully understood then what they were for. He walked back, to where another angel statue stood in an alcove of its own. Its hands were held out in offering to the blade that stuck into the ground at its feet. Sariele only had a moment to study the intricate details on the beautiful crystalline blade before War pulled it out of the ground and took it to the waiting angel statue. She watched as he leapt up and slid the sword into its rightful place. Almost mechanically, the statue's hands moved and clasped the sword by the handle. A loud _click _was heard, and the locks slid from the doors. War moved forward, and no sooner had he opened the door, she heard a loud slam. In the next room- a wide, cavernous room likely meant to be the main sanctuary- the ortho grappled with the giant abyssal bat.

She was finally able to discern the giant Chosen- wings nearly as wide as her gargantuan body with a sharp, curved barb at the end of each of their spines. Her fur was matted and a rusty grey in color- not that she needed to know what gave it the rusty coloration. A long tail rounded at the end to resemble a club and a venomous-looking liquid dripped from long saber-sharp teeth. It stood perfectly still for only a moment before taking a swipe to the frightened and agitated heavenly beast, who jumped out of the way and then tackled Tiamat against the wall behind her, attempting apparently to snap at her neck. Sariele felt her heart race as Tiamat then fought back and slammed the ortho into the wall opposite and then threw it back and slammed it against another wall. The heavenly creature recovered just enough to take off into the air again, with Tiamat close behind it.

"I know that we generally raise the heavenly mounts to endure quite a bit of pain, but I don't think it has a lot of time." she murmured. War nodded and kept moving, across the large stream of lava dividing the room in half. His eyes were eventually brought to a large piece that was dangling from the ceiling- something that was most likely a part of a statue at one point. What was holding it, however, seemed almost unnatural. It hung from what looked like a set of jaws in the ceiling and had more jaws of razor sharp teeth biting into the statue, like a baby teething.

"Goremaws." Sariele identified."We're lucky that one is already occupied. Usually they lie in wait for someone to walk right under them."

"Is there a way to kill them?" War asked. Sariele shook her head.

"Not for lack of trying, but I have been able to find out that the lower part- the part that comes down to grab things- is without a doubt its most vulnerable point." War noted that, but looked around the room all the same.

"This way." he said as he led her through a door to their right. This led out into a courtyard which had one singular angel statue standing directly in the center. War immediately went on the offensive when lightning struck down around the statue and demon portals opened. From them rose the skeleton warriors from earlier. War watched as Sariele took a deep breath before again maneuvering her bow into the twin blades. The two then rushed in, War throwing one up into the air only to break it apart with his gauntlet. Sariele meanwhile mainly blocked at their swipes at her and proceeded to knock one so hard into the wall that it broke apart instantaneously. She bent back at a near ninety-degree angle to dodge a sideswipe and then slashed upward at it.

Unfortunately it grabbed at her blade and shoved her back until she landed on her back and then attempted to swipe at her until she moved to the side, allowing steel to hit the stone formerly beneath her. A split second of eye contact was all she needed with War before cart-wheeling out of the way of a large stone thrown from him directly at the enemy. The blow effectively knocked it to pieces. Sariele scooped up her other sword and joined them as one just before a Duskwing appeared and attempted to swipe at her. She dove out of the way and fired an arrow right through the bottom of its jaw. From far away she dispatched another one while War took care of the others that had appeared.

When the battle was over and all that was left were abandoned swords and blood stains, the two made their way through a door earlier blocked off by demon magics, into a small hallway, the path onward blocked by strange red crystals. Sariele noted the strange, thorny little balls of fire and picked one up- wincing as they were incredibly hot- and with all her strength tossed it. She then ran back to War, who watched as it attached itself to the crystals and within seconds, exploded and cleared away the crystal.

"I knew it." she murmured behind him. He shook his head, but as far as he could see, there would be no way for Sariele to scale the tall room above. He picked her up and held her so that she was level with him. Out of instinct, her arms went around his neck, pulling her closer to him if at all possible.

"I am going to need you to hold on." he said. She nodded, but didn't make eye contact so as not to give away how badly she was blushing. War jumped across the lava, onto the small outcropping of ground in a lonely corner of the room and then jumped up to grab an exposed metal ledge and moved along it. Sariele clung to him, her head nestled into his shoulder, unable to look, not until he had settle both feet on solid ground once more. She slowly pulled away and for a moment their eyes met. Sariele felt a shiver go up her spine at such an intensity in those blue eyes- intensity and violent thoughts that threatened to consume and destroy her if she got too close.

He set her down, not failing to break the contact, even when he could see her insecurity, her shyness. He would have said something, but she had already turned away, willing herself away from him and they continued as if nothing had ever truly happened. As they stepped through another set of doors, they found themselves in the upper level of the courtyard. Before them, a statue loomed dangerously close to the edge, threatening to fall over into the courtyard below. Sariele watched as War walked towards the statue and with a great push, heaved it over the edge. It landed and fell through the cracked ground with a mighty crash, leaving a gaping hole in its wake.

"What do you think is down there?" she asked.

"One can only find out." War replied as he straightened himself out and then he jumped down, falling down into the long tunnel he had just uncovered. As he reached the bottom, he looked up at Sariele.

"Keep going." she told him. "I'll catch up with you later." she encouraged. He spared her a glance for but a second and then disappeared from sight. She, meanwhile, turned just in time to dispose of a bat that had tried to sneak up behind her and then retreated back the way War had led them through. When she reached the tall and empty hallway, she shivered again at the memory of his arms around her, but suppressed it. This was hardly the time to be thinking about such things. She leapt down and then back through the way she came, keeping her wits about her in case another enemy came back. She was blessed in the fact that for the moment, things were quiet, with only the rumble of the thunder and the sound of rain pattering against the ground. She lifted her head to the sky and welcomed the falling droplets on her face, eyes closed to take in the feeling of all of the filth and sweat washing away from her face. It dripped freely from the end of her hair, which now formed ringlets that stuck flatly to the damp skin of her cheeks.

Rumbling footsteps alerted her to the return of her comrade, who was now holding another blade-like key. She nodded and allowed her head a simple shake to lose the excess water trapped within it. In the same bloody manner, a barrier that had closed off another door in the courtyard was disposed of and a long hallway was revealed. There, at its end, which spread out into a wild dais,- at the feet of another angel statue- rested another crystalline blade. As War stepped forward to grab it, Sariele grabbed a hold of his armor. He stilled, not at her insistence, but by what they were both looking at. The floor opened up from a demonic portal, but this one was blue. From it rose a large demon- one larger than even War, dressed head to foot in light blue armor and wielding a giant axe that beat Chaoseater in size.

"An Undead Lord..." Sariele explained, pulling an arrow. "Be careful. Those axes have an affinity for freezing their opponents." The thing let out a massive roar in their direction before charging them. She almost didn't notice his arm coming back until she was roughly pushed back so that he could swing the massive, violent blade to meet the swing of the demon's axe. War was matched in strength, she noticed, but if she could say that she knew him well enough, she could probably wager a guess that he wouldn't have it any other way, and she stood back to take what she was watching as a learning experience.

War moved out of the way of a vicious swipe and then caught another coming from above.

"You are weak!" the Undead Lord snarled.

"Yet I can push you back." War growled right back.

Every stroke War made caused a piece of the demon's armor to chip away, piece by piece. When it realized that it wouldn't get anywhere with the bigger prey, it attempted to go after the smaller one, who backed away from it. War would not take being ignored. Immediately, he rushed ahead of the Undead Lord, blocking its path toward Sariele, sword at the ready. The demon made an angry swipe at him that he blocked with the wide face of Chaoseater before swinging in a wide arc, cutting off its arm. Without a weapon to protect itself, it was wide open for when he cleaved right through its abdomen. Both halves fell to the floor with a sickening sound.

He didn't regard her as he picked up the sword nor as he made his way out, but he knew that she quietly followed him back to the central sanctuary to place the missing sword to the angel statue that sought its weapon. The cathedral shook with such force after the latch was released that Sariele nearly feared what she would find on the other side. Whatever was going on, it was close. She just didn't expect that it would be right outside the doors when War opened them. She watched as right before her eyes the Heavenly Mount, a mighty beast of The White City itself grappled with the Bat Queen. She couldn't bring herself away, even when she saw how weak the poor heavenly creature looked. In her heart, she knew how this would end, even when her mind prayed otherwise. The two danced around each other as once more they ascended, this time to the very roof of the building. War walked into the courtyard left in their wake, noting the Goremaw hanging in wait and a fiery bomb waiting to be thrown at its lower jaw. He watched as the demonic growth of muscle, tissue and teeth writhed in pain before it retreated into the jaw that stuck to the ceiling and then made for the sword just beneath it.

"War!" Sariele cried out behind him. His attention was then brought to the demons- an Undead Lord and Skeletal Warriors- that rose from the portals in the ground. He rushed forward, but this time, instead of wielding the fearsome Chaoseater, he moved forward with the crystalline blade, clashing immediately with the larger enemy.

The angel also charged forward, gritting her teeth as she grabbed a bomb from its fiery nest and lobbing it at the skeletal enemies. The one that it landed on stood next to its brother in arms and before they could even move, the bomb exploded. Sariele managed to grab another bomb and lob it at the creature, but this one was clever enough to catch it and was ready to throw it back to her when she summoned another fiery arrow and cast it into the bomb, igniting it. War had quickly dispatched the Undead Lord, again cleaving it in half before looking to Sariele, watching as she dove underneath the final Skeletal Warrior's bony legs. The sword it had begun to swing barely missed her foot as she crawled away. But her objective was not to escape; it discovered this too late as it realized where it was standing. With the most powerful kick she could muster, Sariele knocked the undead creature into the small body of lava that rested behind the bomb nest.

He busied himself again by bringing the sword he now held to its rightful place in an alcove tucked away in the corner. The angel mechanism took the sword, releasing the locks on the doors, which led into another cavernous room. A quick glance on Sariele's behalf revealed to her the way onward: a ledge high above their heads. Their only way up, it seemed, was by a shadow current, and a powerful one at that. Sariele felt herself immediately pulled to War's chest and he held onto her as they were carried up and onward. Sariele was glad to be on the ground again and away from his sweltering gaze. That proved to be short-lived, however when War kicked the doors open. At that moment, the weather had worsened, as the rain began pelting down on them, running down in rivulets down the outer wall. This time, she was prepared, pulling herself up; one arm was around his neck, the opposite hand was gripping at his armor and her legs tucked up so as not to hinder his footing. He nodded and approached the wall, leaping up and grabbing onto the ledge. After reaching for another, he scaled around the wall until he dropped down and let her down.

She was a little confused, however, at the fact that the only reason that they had come so far up was to push a block down, but she went with it nonetheless, following War back down and watching as he pushed it back into place before leaping to grip the top lip of the block when it was set in place and then pull herself. She pulled herself to the topmost level and led him back into the upper level of the Sanctuary, overcoming the Duskwings while he made himself busy by throwing a bomb at the giant Goremaw. The resulting explosion made the Goremaw screech in pain and drop its catch. The broken statue crashed into the cracked and broken floor, resulting in an underground tunnel being revealed. War caught Sariele around the middle, pulling her against him and then leapt down into the deep tunnel.

Again, as he raised to his full height, he slowly let her down, ensuring that she wouldn't become disoriented when he set her right. She was just as slow to pull away from his arms but after a moment shook her head and recollected herself. It took her eyes a moment to adjust to the darker shades within this tunnel, but she blinked a few times and had already felt better- or at least in her head. Her joints ached and she knew that she would be bruised, but she kept silent about it.

War led them down the passage, down stairs until they met with uninvited company- though because they had the higher ground, the enemies were dealt with easily and quietly. Following the tunnel further, they found themselves at the threshold of a wide cave that the outer walls of the Cathedral seemed to be built into. Facing the river of magma that flowed at the far end of the cave was a very crude, very flat altar. Chained there, but floating nonetheless was a great stone mechanism that seemed to be made up of multiple stern stone faces.

"Is that...?" Sariele breathed. War jumped down, snapping her from her thoughts and she quickly followed suit, crossing the wide cave to the strange mechanism. War's eyes scanned it and then he drew Chaoseater. She could only gasp in shock as he broke the locks on the chains. All at once, the strange statue began glowing a faint, eerie green and rose into the air only to break apart. What was revealed from the center was a star- or that's what it appeared to be at first. From the center ring- crossed by a singular handle- extended four large, curved blades, all marked by runes. Sariele could only marvel in the beauty of such craftsmanship as War held it; from one razor-sharp tip to the other, it was about as long as she was tall, and her arms couldn't even begin to cover its width. "Of course." she murmured as she ran fingertips tentatively over the surface. "This... this is the Crossblade." War watched her as her bright eyes appraised the weapon. "I had heard stories about this weapon- and its previous owner. I suppose it makes sense now." She looked around. War, in the meantime, drew his hand back, giving the weapon a hefty push. The whistle as it cut through the wind echoed throughout the cave, even when it spun right back into his waiting hand. Sariele's facial expression took to that of a delighted child.

Her delight at having found such a weapon, however, died immediately. From the lake of magma beyond the 'altar', there rose several flaming Duskwings. War hefted the Crossblade towards them, silently pleased with how effective the weapon was. Sariele, in the meantime, had focused on the small group of skeletal warriors that had appeared. Rapidly did she begin shooting arrows.

"Get down!" he shouted. She didn't need to be told twice and crouched as he threw the weapon once more and she watched in amazement as it circled around effectively slicing right through the enemies. She heard a sickening, almost wet sound that seemed to be coming down the passage the two had just come from and she could almost smell the putrid poisons well enough to know what was coming before she even saw it. She knew the sickened purple skin and the multiple growths on it that caused it to hunch over. Out of disgust, she lifted her wrist, covering her face from the noxious odors. War, however, ran towards it.

"Don't!" she cried. War thankfully stopped just in time, as the rotting enemy had taken in a lungful of air and had been ready to exhale a number of poisons on the Horseman. War drew back, but the undead creature followed him, stopped only when one of Sariele's arrows pierced through its hide. War gripped the Crossblade, charging it with energy until it glowed a bright blue and then threw it. As if tied to his own will, the Crossblade remained spinning, cutting into the rotten mauler. Sariele noted that the poison usually surrounding the enemy had been blown away from the rapid spinning the Crossblade had done, and War then took the initiative and cut through the rotten flesh. He stopped, however, when he began to notice that it was regaining its strength and ready to breathe poison onto him. An idea suddenly came to Sariele from something she had read in a human book long ago. If her theory was right, that rotten mauler was filled with the gas that was its poison- that's where the multiple growths came from. She again summoned the power of the fiery arrows, knowing then why Samael had given it to her.

"War, get back!" she called. War managed one moment to look in the angel's direction to see her sporting a fiery arrow and knew almost exactly what she was planning to do. He rushed away and Sariele took the shot. The impending explosion was enough to nearly knock the rotten mauler off its feet. War shot forward once more, taking advantage of its disoriented state to impale it right through its stomach. It lurched forward, right where he wanted it to be. With his large, clawed gauntlet, he grabbed the thing's horrific face and pulled, turning away as noxious poisons and gasses began spewing out of the gap where its head had been. War moved away from the poisons and then threw the Crossblade for added measure. He looked to her, giving a slight nod in confirmation that the thing was indeed dead.

A faint glow grabbed their attention and Sariele watched as small doors just above the grated exit opened, revealing a crystalline switch. War felt like the Crossblade was the key to releasing the switch, which indeed it was. The grate was lifted and then War lifted the door, first allowing Sariele passage. Another cavernous room awaited them, though this time the path circled around the pool of lava. In its center, there stood a tall statue that was covered in bombs and the red crystal.

"It's only half-submerged." she noted. Her eyes came across a very old machine. "I wonder..." She looked to War, who still held onto the Crossblade and then back to the statue. She looked to the bomb nestle right over the crystal and with a shrewd look then strung her bow, firing upon it. The effect was instantaneous. Gone was the crystal that had stuck to the statue. War had already taken for the crystal at the other side and made it disappear. As he was coming back, Sariele took to turning the switch, which was not done with any ease. The gears seemed to have been stuck with age, but she was able to summon up a great deal of her strength and move it herself. Looking up, she saw it. "War, there, on the sword!" she noted.

War saw it, too, and he didn't spare a second to throw the Crossblade at it. Almost immediately, the gates at either opposite corner of the room lifted. Sariele made for the ledge, pulling herself up and moving directly behind War. They stopped when they found out that the room had been flooded with magma. War was the one that saw their path made in the spire covered with bombs. Looking up, he saw that it held up part of the ceiling, large enough for them to walk on. Again he threw the Crossblade and then pulled her back so as to clear the explosion. Immediately she understood why and when he gave a nod of assent, she jumped to the small island created there. He followed her closely and the two then noted the next part. She prepared to summon a fiery arrow once more, but he instead made the first move, tossing the Crossblade so that every one of the blades was imbued by the flames by a torch that hung just above their heads. Sariele watched as the great throwing weapon then moved to the bombs and then caused them to explode. For a moment, Sariele slightly flinched, but War had moved to allow her to make a running leap. When he joined her, he scooped her up and then tossed her up to the higher ledge before joining her.

For some reason, she felt a little more like a burden than an asset, considering that War was pushing her here and there and lifting her, but then he probably was not very patient to begin with, and anywhere that she couldn't reach would only provide a problem. Rather than have her deal with it, she figured, he made it easy on himself by carrying her.

When War pulled the gate up, he and Sariele were greeted by the sight of three angel statues sitting upon a circular stage, all facing each other without a blade.

"We don't have time to waste." Sariele said. "I'll meet you back here to help with the third." War watched as she dropped down and then leapt up the ledge and then pulled up the door, crouching under it before it fell closed behind her. With a shake of his head, he glided to the circular stage and then followed the Shadow Current to the next door.

After a simple trial of raising platforms, he returned to find Sariele pulling the sword towards one of the statues. Her face, save for the area around her eyes where her goggles touched, was covered in soot, but she still looked somewhat pleased with herself. She offered a small smile to him that he disregarded as he placed the sword. A loud click was heard and the grate for a third door opened. What they found in there, though was merely a chest, but possibly one that could hold something important.

They didn't have a chance to find out, though, before the chest sank into the ground and enemies appeared around them. Sariele split apart her bow, determined to fight, ran in, putting all of her weight into her charge before knocking the skeletal enemy off his feet and then meeting the blade of another. War was no one to just back and watch and also flourished Chaoseater, ready to cut through all that stood in his way.

When the dust cleared, the chest reappeared, opened to reveal a Beholder's Key. War stowed it away and the two retraced their steps back to the room with the large statue. War stuck the bladed key into the barrier's eye and then the two were granted passage within the next cavernous room. The problem was not the fiery Duskwings, which were dealt with simply. The problem was that there was a large gap in the middle of the room and Sariele guessed that the ledge far to their left was where they needed to be. War looked to the right and picked Sariele up, running along the ledges exposed on twin earthen pillars before jumping down to safety on the ledge that was formerly at their right. His eyes fell upon a switch, which he quickly pulled out and turned it. From the depths of the magma pool below, there rose a large platform. The only problem was that it had risen up from the _other_ side of the room.

Sariele examined a grate in the floor opposite the switch War had just pulled.

"I think I found our other switch, down there." she said. War noted the door and pulled it up. This led to a slightly less cavernous room. Sariele did not take well to the openness of this particular area; War felt very much the same. They had reason to.

The iron cage was the first thing that dropped down into the room's center, followed by the hideous mass of decomposing flesh and muscle. No sooner had it grabbed the cage, it slammed its weapon of choice down, casting out a group of the skeletal warriors. Sariele began firing her arrows at it. "I'll take care of him!" she shouted, nodding to the giant. Rapidly, she drew back and fired. War dealt easily with the enemies until the bigger one summoned more. Sariele parried with a few shots of her own, not that any of them prevailed against this thing's skin. Instead, the giant undead enemy swung at her, missing her by mere centimeters as she vaulted backward. She gritted her teeth in frustration before she noted three potential weak points. Bracing herself for a moment, she took off at a full sprint to the side, rounding the giant enemy, pausing only to aim and fire- only this time, she managed to fire off three arrows at a time, all three soaring round and round like a dance through the air before hitting three large boil-like pustules on its enlarged and infected shoulder. With a loud pained groan, the giant enemy stilled, leaving itself open for the Horseman.

As it moved to strike, intending to hit War with the cage, War caught it, yanked it from the enemy's hands and then proceeded with a nasty swipe to the side of its face and then an impressive leaping uppercut, followed by the cage thrown directly into its head. It was knocked unconscious as a result, and one of the creatures- a body that was attached to it, entrapped initially,- began pounding on its chest as if to get it to wake up. Sariele realized with horror that this smaller creature was probably where the brains of the beast lie. It took no notice of War until it was too late. War wrenched his sword this way and that way and was left with a storm of blood when he finally and mercilessly pulled his sword from the eviscerated creature.

The next room on led to a lower level, where the path could only be revealed when the two had dealt with the strange red crystals once more, only to reveal a rotten mauler waiting for them. War nodded and rushed in to distract it, expecting that Sariele would understand to shoot when she got a good opening to. She understood full well and merely waited until the creature let loose enough gas to cause an explosion before War returned to finish it off. The rest was fairly simple, they determined. War tossed Sariele over his shoulder as he leapt across the stream of lava that had filled the narrow hallway of this lower level and then moving alongside a ledge to find a switch that summoned up a path from the depths of the lava stream. From there, the duo found the hallway's end and the missing switch. By pulling a lever, War was able to return it to its proper place in the upper level.

No sooner had they done that, though, they had gained company of the unwanted variety. A rotten mauler had caught their scent and begun its way down the hallway. War, thinking quickly, picked Sariele up and retreated into the room where he had run along the ledge. The thing followed them to the very edge and she noticed that it was close enough to spew its poison as she allowed herself a moment to peer around his shoulder.

"I'm assuming you have some sort of plan." War strained. She nodded.

"Lift me higher." she ordered. He adjusted himself slightly, tightening his grip on the ledge before doing as she wanted.

"Make it count." he told her as she prepared an arrow. She took in a deep breath at the same time as the mauler and released. The creature stopped mid-breath and then fell forward into the pool of lava below. Sariele exhaled in satisfaction as War moved them to somewhere less precarious.

Upon return to the upper level, War activated the switch. He reached a hand out for Sariele, but she backed away and then dashed forward, leaping for the stone column that had just emerged from the magma stories below. Even when she landed safely, she didn't stop running, leaping for the next one until she safely touched the stone formation at the other end. He followed her and had arrived to use the Crossblade to open the grate covering the next door. When they entered the room, all that was there to greet them was an Undead Lord. War held out an arm when Sariele began to make her way down and instead dropped down himself, engaging the fell Undead enemy head on. Sariele watched as again he cleaved the gargantuan enemy into oblivion and then reached for the sword. No sooner had he, a host of enemies had appeared- a rotten mauler and a number of skeletal enemies. At the very last second, he turned, first his upper torso then he swung his arms in a wide arc.. The friction from just one swing lit the rotten mauler ablaze.

Sariele watched in utter amazement as he dealt with the poisonous creature, Chaoseater tearing through it like cloth. Blood spackled across the floor like spilled paint on canvas. In a way, it was beautiful to watch; if killing and slaughter were made into an art, War would be an unparalleled master, she decided, and for a moment, she almost recognized him- nearly felt the fear come back to her.

When the enemies had cleared, War finally took the third sword and stowed it on his back. Sariele felt her unease return as two more Undead Lords appeared. Without thinking, she jumped in and ran towards the fight. Just in time, too, as it turned out because as War blocked the attack of one, the other got ready to swipe until Sariele intervened. She jumped up, wrapping an arm around its shoulder and driving the thin blade of one of her swords into its jugular. A jet of blood splashed over her face, but she stayed put, gritting her teeth and pushing the blade in as far as she could. The Undead Lord fell onto its knees and then fell forward, its blood creating a deep puddle on the floor. War used the distraction this caused the other to his advantage, giving a powerful swing that rid the Undead Lord of its chest plate. Sariele then slowed down its anger-infused charge with a few shots to the exposed skin, not that it did much. It wasn't until War cleaved it into quarters that it finally stopped. He snapped his arm, ridding the crystalline blade of the foul thing's blood before finally paying attention to the fact that the stage had risen.

"I have a feeling that those angel statues will take us to Tiamat." Sariele declared.

"One of us." War replied, causing the angel to look at him with outrage. "This is my fight."

"But we..." she began passionately.

"You have helped me to this point. Tiamat is different from these lesser demons- more powerful. If you keep following me, you will only end up getting yourself killed."

"And what makes you think that you can't be hurt- or worse- by her?"

"I don't." he answered.

"Then there's a chance that you'll need my help." she argued. A low rumbling sound erupted from him and he turned so violently and quickly that she jumped back.

"I do _not_ require your help." he grounded out furiously. "Consider yourself lucky that I permitted you to come this far." With that he turned and began to leave. Sariele could only stand and watch, feeling her blood boil beneath her skin.

"Why?" she asked aloud. "What was the point of sparing me that day? All a flightless angel can be is a burden, right? So why then did you kill that demon instead of letting it destroy me? You could have spared yourself the trouble! Was I just a means to an end, then?"

War had paused, signifying to her that her words had been heard, but he lifted the door and disappeared. For the first time in over a century- since having watched him lose his fight with Straga- Sariele felt burning tears brim over her eyes and mingle with the Undead Lord's blood that still stained her face.

* * *

**So that's the end of that chapter for now. Sorry to end it on such a note, but no worries, it will get better. Like I said, it will take some time for anything to happen between them. Looking forward to the next chapter already. In any case, I hope you all have enjoyed and I'll have a new chapter up soon! ^^**


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